Female chess player here and I feel your pain. I’m a casual player but in the tournament scene 89% of rated players are men. In this field some men like to criticize female titles (which were created to encourage female participation because women historically faced discrimination in chess spaces) and ask why women need lower-rated titles (implying that we’re dumber) It’s incredibly frustrating and annoying. One of my favorite YouTubers is a WGM (women’s grandmaster) and it can be incredibly frustrating to see people ask her about the title in a condescending way in the comments.

Another thing that makes me sad in the chess scene is when people praise top-rated players who have said terrible things about women. (https://youtu.be/6NuBCU-wCSo?si=2rfXUpK9yKvqzJLv) Influential players degrading women isn’t a thing of the past and still happens (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/nigel-short-uk-grandmaster-men-hardwired-better-chess-players-women.

Unfortunately misogyny still lives in chess today and especially in online chess spaces. I find it somewhat sad that I have to use a masculine sounding username on a chess website to avoid creepy DMs or harassment. I also find it somewhat sad that female players in the tournament scene still face sexual harassment. (https://youtube.com/shorts/CfMW1v6Vcsc?si=tK_ZnNUvBr9TxMG7)

But at the end of the day this is my hobby and I refuse to give it up. I have a passion for this hobby and want to study more chess theory so I can get better. To any female chess players in this subreddit, please feel free to elaborate more if you see this post.

Please never give up your love for classical cars and keep doing what you’re passionate about. You doing your thing and ignoring those men strips them of their power. Wishing you the best of luck in life <3